KABUL, Afghanistan — Taliban have confirmed the arrest of an elderly British couple in the central province of Bamiyan, along with a Chinese-American citizen and their Afghan interpreter, the Associated Press reported. However, they have not provided details on the reason for their detention or their current condition.
Quoted by the Associated Press, Abdul Matin Qanay, a spokesman for the Taliban’s Interior Ministry, said that “four people have been arrested—two British citizens who hold Afghan identification and passports, a Chinese-American citizen, and their interpreter, who was working to resolve the issue.”
The detained couple, identified as Peter Reynolds, 79, and Barby Reynolds, 75, have lived in Bamiyan since 2006 and ran Rebuild, an organization focused on education and job training for both government and private-sector employment.
Despite repeated warnings from the British government about Afghanistan’s deteriorating security situation, they chose to remain in the country after the Taliban takeover in August 2021.
According to The Sunday Times, the couple was detained on February 1 after returning to their home in Bamiyan. In the early days of their detention, they were able to send messages to their four children, assuring them that they were in good condition and under the supervision of the Taliban’s Interior Ministry. However, three days later, communication abruptly stopped.
Local sources told The Sunday Times that Taliban forces raided the couple’s home and interrogated their staff about potential involvement in religious activities. The nature of the allegations against them remains unclear.
Peter and Barby Reynolds, who married in Kabul in the 1970s, had continued their work in education and parenting skill development despite the Taliban’s restrictions on foreign organizations. Their family has insisted that they have not engaged in any illegal activities.
Their children have called on the Taliban to release them, citing their deteriorating health and urgent need for medical care.
